Changes

Jump to navigation Jump to search

Penis

100 bytes added, 20 June
m
no edit summary
}}</ref> The penis is also known as the '''phallus'''.
The body of the penis consists of three cylindrical-shaped masses of erectile tissue which run the length of the penis. Two of the masses lie alongside each other and end behind the head of the penis. The third mass lies underneath them. This latter mass contains the [[urethra]]. The penis terminates in an oval or cone-shaped body, the [[glans penis]], which contains the exterior opening of the [[urethra]], or [[meatus]].<ref name="farlex2003" />The final part of the penis is the [[foreskin]], also called the prepuce.
The normal [[intact]], [[foreskinned]] penis is enveloped in a tube of loose, highly innervated, movable, erogenous skin,<ref name="winklemann1959">{{WinkelmannRK 1959}}</ref> the [[foreskin]] or prepuce, which enables it to expand freely during [[erection]].<ref name="earp2018">{{REFjournal
|DOI=10.1007/s11930-018-0141-x
|accessdate=2024-01-02
}}</ref> The skin ends just behind the [[glans penis]] but folds forward to cover it, this forming the [[preputial sac]] and, if long enough, the [[acroposthion]]. The moist [[preputial sac ]] may harmlessly collect oil-bearing [[smegma]], which is helpful in preventing dermatitis.<ref name="birley1993">{{REFjournal
|last=Birley
|init=HDL
The skin of the adult penis normally is somewhat darker than the rest of the body. This condition is called ''hyperpigmentation''.
== Innervation ==
The normal [[foreskinned]] penis — the organ of copulation — is heavily innervated with afferent<ref>{{REFweb
|url=https://medical-dictionary.thefreedictionary.com/afferent
|title=Afferent
|date=2003
|accessdate=2023-11-24
}}</ref> nerves — meaning that sensation, which is needed for male sexual function, is transmitted to the spinal cord and/or central nervous system. The penis is also innervated by the sympathetic autonomic nervous system (SAMS) and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system (PAMS).<ref name="cepeda2023">{{REFjournal
|last=Cepeda-Emiliani
|first=
15,987
edits

Navigation menu